When I was a kid, movie theatres tended to have the screens fairly high and the seats were all at or near ground level (very gentle slope), meaning we all looked up at the screen. Over time people apparently concluded that this was bad, as stadium seating and higher seating elevations (relative to the screen) have become the norm in the theatres I've been in. Now it's much easier to look straight ahead at the screen.

Why, then, when LCD and plasma TVs give us the ability to mount the screen on a wall instead of putting it on a stand, do so many people mount it at or above eye level while standing? This means that if you sit to watch TV (which most of us do), you're looking up at the screen. I'm talking about people's homes, e.g. above the fireplace in the living room, not restaurants where other considerations might apply (like battles for control or risk of damage from patrons).

Are people being driven by a sense of what's aesthetic on walls (we're used to hanging pictures, mirrors, etc higher)? Is there some user-experience reason that it's better to look up when watching TV? If the latter, why doesn't it apply to movie theatres?

Re #2: I wonder how many people know how to turn their TVs on/off without the remote. :-)
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Monica CellioNov 2 '12 at 18:11

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number 4 is why I like it. Recliner + TV with no craned neck is amazing.
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VoronoiPotatoNov 7 '12 at 20:25

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having to change the angle of my neck to talk to people in the room and to watch TV is incredibly annoying. I hate high mounted TVs, I just refuse to watch them.
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mikebabcockNov 8 '12 at 4:38

You make many good points. Is it just that flat-panels now allow us to put TVs "where we've always wanted them, but you can't wall-mount a CRT"? Older TVs often sat on stands/cabinets, putting them out of bumping-into range and not precluding under-TV storage. Did we lean back on our couches less then while cursing our inability to put the TV higher?
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Monica CellioNov 19 '13 at 22:32

It's usually the Fireplace that causes this. Traditionally, the fireplace was the central focus of the room. These days, it's often the TV. Obviously, it's easier to move the TV than it is the fireplace, hence the high mounted TVs in rooms with fireplaces.

Ergonomically, it's poor. Most recommendations for TVs (and computer screens, for that matter) is that the the top-half of the screen be mounted at eye-line. Aesthetically, however, it looks nice in a magazines and real estate listings.

I think this is the reason and started in home design magazines as a guess. In the past, you would never see a TV in such magazines so, nowadays, you have to put it somewhere and some apparently were led by the nose. As you said, it's ergonomically the worst place to put a TV. THX web site gives the best directions on TV placement.
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RobMar 17 '13 at 12:03

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It's not just ergonomically bad but also just plain bad for the TV! Heat, temperature cycling, and particulates are the enemies of electronics.
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dodgethesteamrollerJun 28 '13 at 1:11

There are lots of good reasons for parents to mount the TV up high. Even if it doesn't get trashed, keeping it near floor level is asking for fingerprints all over it, or for child 1 to press the buttons while child 2 is watching and so on. Plus with it higher up child 1 can play on the floor in front of the TV while child 2 is watching. And at the end of TV time, the remote goes on the shelf and you can be sure the TV stays off.
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Colin PickardJan 15 at 11:26

The TV isn't the only thing hanging on the wall, and to get the right balance - you hang the TV higher up on the wall. At that time, the TV is off and you see it as a thing among others and want it to be nicely placed.

When you realize you mounted the TV too high up on the wall, since its uncomfortable to look up, it's too late to change. The drilling holes in the wall are already there. If you where to lower the TV you also need to fill the other holes, and paint them over. Takes too long, so we'll do it later.

Thank you for helping me to refine my question. :-) I meant to ask about homes, not restaurants/bars, and have edited the question. (Another reason to raise them at restaurants would be to reduce the chance that unruly or clumsy patrons will damage them.)
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Monica CellioNov 2 '12 at 20:22

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Also, high TVs in restaurants and pubs allow prople to walk without interfering that much with the others view.
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Juan LanusNov 2 '12 at 20:55

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The high TV in homes also offers this feature for pass through entertainment rooms.
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VoronoiPotatoNov 7 '12 at 20:24